Masquerade
by Lisiny
Summary: Reunions were always meant for amusement, but what happens when this meeting leads two members of team seven to disaster and uncontrollable love? SasuSaku, NejiSaku. plz read and review :
1. Fire of disguise

**Masquerade**

Disclaimer: there will be no owning of Naruto here

Chapter 1 : Fire of disguise

Strips of sunlight reflected on the beige carpet. The figure in front of the full-length mirror inspected herself thoroughly. The teenager dusted off a loose piece of lint on the shoulder of her uniform.

A small chuckle escaped her lips. She would never have thought on achieving this much in her shinobi life especially when she was considered a liability and always dependent on others three years ago.

An ANBU squad captain at the age of sixteen was an accomplishment. She even gave the best a run for their money. The female could not forget the look on Huuyga Neji's face when Tsunade made her the leader of this mission. Sure it was a simple routine check of the area surrounding Konoha, but she couldn't help her ego inflate a little.

After the examination of her clothing, she proceeded to her dresser and picked up a neatly, orange and black painted tiger mask. Carefully she tightened the elastic behind her head trying not to disturb the firm bun she had made. Returning to her mirror once more she pulled over the hood from her uniform hiding any trace of hair.

The girl closed her eyes beneath the mask. She had to prove her quality on this mission.

She looked around her apartment from her front door before exiting.

* * *

Sasuke followed the messenger. Curiosity plagued his mind to whom the shinobi would be.

Slowly he pushed open the hefty wooden doors, leading to the main interrogation room. In the middle of the area Sasuke saw a small, kneeling figure and in a way couldn't understand how this person could be the strongest in the village. Whilst circling the unknown shinobi, Sasuke traced his left hand against one of the stone walls.

He stopped and faced his soon to be training partner. Carefully, he looked over the slumped form, fully clad in anbu uniform, a tiger mask covering the ninja's face. Only the anbu's slender arms were visible. After a few more moments of stillness the missing-nin decided to break the silence.

"I don't like jokes," Sasuke said in a tone that could chip ice.

"I beg your pardon Sasuke-sama?" the guard replied scrunching his pants, with sweaty hands in nervousness.

"How could this pathetic excuse of a man be the best you could find?" he questioned, the anger rising in his tone

"But Sasuke- Sama this is the anbu captain, she's the top of her rank an…"

"What! He's a woman?" By Now Sasuke was swimming with annoyance and confusion. How could they possibly expect him to train with a woman? These guards were mocking his ability as a ninja and father more limiting their life span.

"Yes, it took ten of our best to finally bring her down," the guard said, bringing up facts to try argue his point.

Sasuke's face never showed any emotion, but for the first time, true puzzlement was shown. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the sigh coming from the female shinobi. It was only once she started talking that he was brought back out from his reverie.

"You've changed a lot …" her voice faded, as if deciding to carry on or not. Finally after taking a breath she continued, "Sasuke-kun…"

The man behind the Uchiha shifted his gaze toward the girl and then backs to his commander. For the second time Sasuke's face showed an emotion rarely seen. Her last words that she had spoken still echoed in his ears. He recognised the tone, the way the suffix was put on the end of his name. It was like a telephone call from his past.

'Why does her voice sound so familiar?'

"Who are you, what's your name?" calmness returning to his voice.

The girl didn't reply, instead she bent her head down and let out another sigh. This aggravated him immensely. He grabbed her by the collar of her uniform and lifted her up roughly.

"I asked you a question!"

The ninja stared at Sasuke; she tilted her head in slight amusement.

"I'm disappointed in you Sasuke-kun. You should have figured it out by now."

The smirk under her mask was clearly revealed by the look in her eyes. This only made Sasuke angrier. He wasn't going to let this snotty little anbu get off that easily after being so disrespectful. Tightening his grip on her collar, he turned to the guard.

"Leave!" Sasuke ordered.

* * *

Only after the guard had left, shutting the magnificently carved door behind him and leaving them in silence, did he return his attention back to the kunoichi, still firmly held in his grasp.

Sasuke looked at what seemed like green eyes behind the mask she wore. He could kill her so easily; especially being in such the vulnerable state that she was in now, due to the fact her chakra was drained. Yet she showed no signs of fear. Slowly Sasuke moved his hand towards the tiger mask. Regret overcame him the second it was lifted from her face.

Pink locks fell loosely around her unscathed features. Piercing emerald staring into what seemed like complete darkness. Instantly he let go of her and she tumbled to the floor. He took a few steps back and tried place all what had just happened in order.

'What is she…? This can't be, it's not possible!'

Denial was taking over his common sense. However, there was not very much the Prodigy could refute. The facts were literally staring him in the face.

"Sakura," he whispered as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

"At least you haven't forgotten me," the smirk once again returning to her face.

Never did Sasuke think that he would see his former teammate again, especially under these circumstances. Childhood memories he thought were long forgotten came rushing back, flooding his mind.

Before Sakura had a chance to say anything again he turned his back on her and stormed out, leaving the pink-haired kunoichi with only her thoughts to keep her company.

* * *

Sasuke was at a loss for words. He strode onwards, not noticing that his surroundings had changed. Never did he feel so mystified and he did not like it. His quick pace was halted when his shin hit a wooden bench. He sat down, clasping his head between his hands completely over come by what had just taken place.

Time seemed to fly by. It was nightfall when he was once again interrupted by a voice, only this time it was that of a guard.

"Sasuke-sama?"

"Hn," his head still facing downwards, not really bothering to look up and acknowledge the messenger in front of him.

"Orochimaru-sama wishes to see you in his chambers."

"Hn," Sasuke responded.

Annoyed by his teacher's interference, he stood up and made his way to his instructor's chambers.

* * *

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets as he entered Orochimaru's room, where they were to meet. He had a bored look on his face that was really the opposite of what he was feeling. Meetings were never usually held in his so-called mentor's chamber so this assembly gave him a sense of uneasiness.

A frown was placed on his once bored face. His room was smaller, however Sasuke did not much care to complain. His eyes adjusted to the candlelight, which washed the pillars along the walls with an eerie, dull orange. Dark onyx eyes met those of his teacher. Yellow was Sasuke's least favourite colour, but it was not the shade of yellow that made his eyes narrow in disgust, it was the twisted grin plastered on the ashen-faced man in front of him.

"You wanted to see me?" were the words that broke the awkward silence. The Uchiha didn't like this feeling he was having, which was why getting this thing over and done with was his first priority. Besides Sasuke had more important things to do than get a lecture.

"I was just curious. Is there something you wish to tell me about?" the grin grew, enjoying every moment of the situation before him.

"No," Sasuke replied looking sceptically at the snake man.

"Are you sure?" if you were to touch those Acid words that parted his mouth, you would probably leave without a hand.

"Yes," he answered half truthfully, hiding the other half with his straightforwardness.

Orochimaru's brow arched in amusement as he stepped aside, once again the Uchiha was facing his ex-team mate.

Sakura had trouble looking at Sasuke with her blurry vision. She was bruised and once again kneeling before him. The sharingan user's eyes widened just a little, but his calm demure was still kept.

"That's my new training partner the guard's brought, what about her?"

"I'm glad to see you've found someone to train with so quickly, but there's something about this girl, she seems so familiar doesn't she?" his head slanting a little.

"I've never seen her before and even if I have I don't remember her," his posture remained stoic. Sasuke did not really understanding why he denied knowing her, maybe it was the fact she was a leaf and Orochimaru had a personal vendetta against the village. Who knew what would happen to her if the man found out where she was from. Wait why should he care? It wasn't as if it was his duty to protect her.

By now Orochimaru had he's famous smirk placed on his face. He turned to the girl.

Faded green eyes rest on the dark features of the Uchiha. Blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall, Sakura averted her gaze to the floor. Emotion was a burden. No it was an assassin, a silent killer. It took all she had from preventing herself to cry out his name and embrace him in their first meeting. Her logical side kept telling her that he was the enemy, not the Sasuke-kun she once knew. The moment he refused knowing her, she couldn't help but feel her heart shatter, betrayed all over again. This was _the_ real Sasuke, changed, he had always been cold but this was beyond him.

The former Akatsuki mukin signalled to the guard who was standing with his back against the door. The guard stood upright, glad that he was finally being called. He strode towards Orochimaru taking out a kunai from his pack. He stopped abruptly next to Sakura. He the weapon grasped firmly in his hand.

"If this is true and you have no connection with her, then you wouldn't mind if something happened to her?" He enquired, attempting to sever into Uchiha Sasuke's true thoughts.

"I couldn't care less about what happens to her."

"Good," with that confirmed the man gave a small nod and the guard who was at the side of Sakura plunged the sharp blade deep into her left shoulder. Sakura's excruciating scream echoed the room. She doubled over; her eyes shut tightly trying to block the pain out. Sasuke's stomach turned over from witnessing what had just taken place, but still held his cool.

"Are we done here?" He asked annoyed.

"For the moment, yes." Orochimaru leered.

Feeling slightly awkward, Sasuke left vociferously.

The saninn watched his student leave. He returned his attention back to the pink haired ninja. As he looked at her fallen body he felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Take her to the men; I'm sure she will be able to provide some sort of entertainment for them." He instructed to the sentry. With a quick nod he grabbed Sakura by her hair and dragged her out of the room.

* * *

A/N: Hello I hope you enjoyed our first fanfic, Special thanx toour friendSatachi for working with us. Please review and let us know what you think... 


	2. An approaching death

Thank you, for all your reviews we appreciate it loads

Chapter 2: An Approaching death

In his room Sasuke laid with his hands behind his head, on his bed. Contemplating on what he had just gone through for the past few hours. He was defiantly confused, but most of all felt the same feeling he had when his parents got killed, guilt. What was he supposed to do? Slaughter Orochimaru for hurting her? He knew this was going to happen and yet this blameworthy sensation did not fade.

When they were young he was always the one to protect her, however the situation they were in now was not the heroic type, it was the complete opposite. He had so many questions inside his mind. Unfortunately he had no replies for them. One more thing Sasuke disliked.

'Why did this happen? Why her? Why now?' these queries reeled repeatedly causing nothing more than getting an incoming migraine. A headache was surely not the answer right now.

Now Sasuke fully regretted seeing Sakura again, because with her came all the memories from when he lived in Konoha. Most of these reminiscences consisted of him and team seven, his team mates. Naruto, who never could keep his mouth shut and was basically a loud idiot, Kakashi and his perverted books. Then there was Sakura. How he always pushed her away and how she always stayed by his side no matter how many times he had told her off. Sasuke roughly shook his head. He hoisted himself up, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Why am I even thinking about this?" asking no one in particular.

"What's done is done," he sighed, "I can't change the past."

As hard as he tried to get his mind off the subject, his thoughts seemed to keep returning to her. It was when he saw Sakura earlier; he noticed something different about the female. She was still the pink haired, green-eyed kunoichi he remembered, although something had change. Sasuke frowned when he realized what that change was.

She wasn't the same lovesick girl who he left on a bench three years ago. She was captain of her anbu squad and one of the strongest shinobi in her village. She might not have changed much on the outside, but she was a completely different person on the inside. At least that's what he concluded.

Sasuke couldn't handle it anymore, he felt claustrophobic. He stood up and began pacing back and forth but this was not helping. Maybe a more open area would clear his head.

He closed his bedroom door behind him and made his way down the passageway. Moments had past when the sharingan user recognized a familiar face approaching him. Seeing the white haired man gave him an itching sense of curiosity. Once again his mind was thrown in the direction of Sakura.

"Sasuke-sama" Kabuto said regarding his superior.

"Hn" Sasuke nodded with his reply. They walked past, Sasuke abruptly wheeled around.

"Do you know whe-?"

"Sakura is?" Kabuto said, finishing the sentence for him.

"Don't look so surprised! Even if Orochimaru-sama does not remember her, I could never forget such an innocent face." By now, the sly smile was spreading over Kabuto's face.

"Where is she?" Sasuke creased his brows, patients was wearing thin on his side.

"Why so interested?" he was really working on Sasuke's nerves. In one quick movement Kabuto was shoved up against the hallway wall, a Kunai dangerously close to his neck. What amused him the most were the pair of sharingan eyes glaring at him.

"Where?" Sasuke dropped the kunai. His hand now seized Kabuto's neck.

"Once you left Oroch…" Kabuto stopped briefly, struggling for air.

"Orochimaru-Sama sent her out to the men; he thought that she might provide some sort of amusement for them."

He clenched his jaw; his mind reeled like a spinning top. The guilt from leaving her alone flowed through his allegedly cold veins.

He loosened his grip and Kabuto fell to the ground. Sasuke headed for the men's common room, leaving a very pale sound nin gulping for oxygen on all fours.

Before Sasuke even reached the end of the hallway he heard a throaty and barely audible mumble come from the healing specialist. The Uchiha stopped and looked over his shoulder at Kabuto.

"You seem to care a lot for her?" the question was mocking, and it took the silver-haired man a second to continue speaking, "Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you deny even knowing her?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into slits, this man was wasting his time.

"If you tell anyone who she is," he paused briefly.

"I'll kill you."

Those three words wiped the smile off the nin's face. It was general knowledge that the young Uchiha would never hesitate killing him. Therefore he thought it wise to keep his mouth shut … well, for the moment. Apart from the death sentence he had just gotten, Kabuto found this whole situation extremely intriguing.

Sasuke proceeded ahead to where Sakura was, hopefully, still alive.

* * *

The icy barricade, which kept the feelings she never dared to show, … was melting. For the first time in 3 years Sakura experienced that irrepressible angst.

And then the wall cracked.

The kunoichi closed her bruised jade orbs. She felt something warm slide down her cheek creating a stinging path toward her chin.

Rain? No, she was still inside.

Sakura swallowed, her spit tasted metallic. Her Ribs were aching. The rapid beating of her heart was not helping either; in fact it was making the pain worse.

She had been kicked, thrown around and pulled countless times by her hair to meet the faces of the drunken soldiers who she was keeping "entertained."

Although surprised that she hadn't passed out from the lack of blood, Sakura did not care anymore. She did however think about the sickening feeling that was growing in the pit of her stomach. There was only one sentence that rolled regretfully through her mind that created this nausea.

'I'm going to die here.'

* * *

A/N: This is a really short chapter, but we don't want the readers to keep waiting so this is a taste of more to come. Remember to Review and thanx again to our friend Satachi for helping. 


	3. Torn between the mind and soul

Thanks for all the positive reviews guys it really keeps us going. It means a lot to us. 

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto…or do we

Chapter 3: Torn between the mind and soul

Sasuke made his way to where he could only hope Sakura still was. The corridor coiled. One would go insane if they did not know their way around these maze resembling passages like Uchiha Sasuke did. Lanterns flickered along the hallway, but provided little light for him. That was the least of Sasuke's worries. In truth, he preferred to be surrounded by complete darkness. His life -after all- was plagued by the shadows of his past…

Forgetting that incident with Kabuto was not easy. Every few moments Sasuke remembered flashes of his one-sided conversation. The Uchiha wouldn't admit it but the words that he had spoken had struck him hard.

Flashback

"_Why so interested?" _

"_You seem to care a lot for her?" _

"_Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you deny even knowing her?"_

End of flashback

Could what Kabuto had said be true? Did he really have feelings for the girl he once knew as his teammate? No, she was just a training partner and that was all. He was just checking if she was dead or not, because it would do him no good if he had no-one to spar with. That did not show he cared, right? His inner-conflict was ranting the unanswered queries. This was not the time to get confused by more oncoming questions. He would focus now on what was in front of him, getting Sakura, and not what was going on in his mind.

The only sound was of his footsteps, which echoed off the stone floor, but it wasn't long before Sasuke heard laughing and a mass of voices. The bunch of barbarians just came back from a mission and as it were expected they were probably celebrating.

Silently he slid up against the stinging, cold wall to eavesdrop what all the commotions was about. Something told him that another meeting with Sakura would be sooner than later.

"Here pass her to me, I'm not sure if she's learnt her lesson yet," the lisp made it hard for Sasuke to understand. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the words that were being spoken. Sasuke knew exactly whom they were referring to.

"No, I think she has," a random, drunken voice slurred.

The man with the lisp was bulky; his face scarred illustrating how long he had been in the shinobi business. Unsteadily, he made his way towards Sakura. He lifted her up slowly from the ground and roughly grabbed the kunoichi by the waist, Sakura wince in pain when he pulled her body right up against his. The man placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her face upwards and examined her through his lazy eyes.

"You're a pretty one; I'd hate to see someone as beautiful as you go to waste," he stated. A menacing grin started to form showing his nicotine, yellow teeth. "I can make all these men leave you in peace, but seeing that I am a man of need, I'm going to expect something from you in return." The ominous smile remained on his grotesque face.

Sasuke's hands twitched. The idea of the man and Sakura together disgusted him. He frowned and reprimanded himself for even thinking such a thought. Although Sasuke was a killer, he never would take advantage of a person in that way, ever. Sasuke moved to another pillar attempting to get a clearer view of what was going on.

Sakura felt small against the man. He held her firmly around the waist and that sick smile was still screwed on the man's mug. She took a deep breath. The sour, alcoholic breath made her shrink. She knew very well what was going to happen to her. Tears started to blur her vision as she rolled the grimy thought through her mind. Her conclusion for the day: attractive girl plus comfort hungry men equals' trouble.

"I would rather spend my time among pigs than with you!" her green-eyes stared directly into those of her captor's. "My chakra may be depleted and I can't fight back but I have not lost my dignity. Death is more welcoming," the decrepit kunoichi hissed. She might have been wounded, but nothing would harm her more if this man were to have his way with her. And so Sakura did the only thing she could have done. A ball of spit collided with a smack against his cheek. There was silence. The whole group was stunned by her daring attempt to disgrace the man.

"You little Bitch!" he cried, "That was the biggest mistake of your entire life!" The brute made a fist and cocked his arm back. All the other men started cheering as if encouraging the male to give the hit. Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the man's hand to crash into her face. The thud of fist hitting skin resonated in her ears, however the pain never came.

'Am I dead?' Inner Sakura questioned.

Slowly she opened her eyes and noted that she was still in the common room, but the others weren't cheering anymore and a deafening silence filled the chamber once more. Her eyes surveyed the expressions on the men's faces. She changed her attention to look at the man who held her tightly. She couldn't see his face anymore, for her view was obstructed by an armguard. The arm around her removed itself. Sakura's body was completely exhausted. Seconds later Sakura was seeing utter blackness. She lost consciousness, and fell heavily to the ground beneath her.

* * *

Sasuke's grip tightened around the man's large hand. The man yelped from the pain. The Uchiha forced the unfortunate soul to the ground. The guard sobered from shock, his fist was still engrossed forcefully by Sasuke's hand. 

"You do know that this bitch is my training partner, right?" Sasuke said irritated. The cluster of men was stunned on how much the student reminded them of the teacher.

The man opened his mouth in attempting to defend himself verbally, but it stood agape and no words came out. Uninterested in what the man was trying to say anyway, Sasuke turned his own hand clockwise, causing the drunkard's arm to twist into an agonizing position. He let out an excruciating scream. His features screwed up in pain. If his arm were crooked any further, it would probably have been ripped out from its socket.

"But seeing that you hurt her as much as you did and now she isn't capable of training with me, I might as well use you."

Sasuke extended his left hand outward and gathered the blue charka into his palm. The chirping of the Chidori sounded throughout the silent room. A look of dread replaced the painful one. He knew all to well what this technique was and what the consequences were.

Finally he had enough courage to implore, "Please! I'm sorry, please stop!" his screaming was the only thing that challenged the sound of the Raikiri.

Sasuke was in no mood for apologise and ignored him completely. Afraid to do anything, the men just feebly gawked at the situation in front of them. Although they knew what the outcome for their comrade was they were too afraid. To afraid of what would happen to them if they were to help.

"Please Sasuke–sama, I'm begging you, don't do this!" the man's desperate cries grew louder.

"Isn't it ironic how the tables have turned? Put yourself in her shoes," the prodigy said, regarding the unconscious form on the floor. Her pink hair spilled over her beaten up face. "Would you have stopped if she would have asked you to?" In a situation like this and the Uchiha still had a stoic expression.

Without giving the man time to answer. Sasuke drew his hand back and with inhumane speed plunged it into the man's chest. The guard's eyes bulged and he let out a choke. In a split-second his lungs had collapsed, giving him no time to scream. Sasuke let go of his hand and the lifeless body tumbled to the floor with a weighty thump. The others stared in disbelief.

Sasuke on the other hand remorselessly turned around and walked to where the girl lay. He was use to carnage. In the three years of staying with Orochimaru he learned how to cope with it. Death just became another part of his life. Well his life had bereavement in it from the beginning so this was nothing new for him.

He slowly bent down and gently picked her up. Her head lulled back as he carried her in his arms.

Sasuke walked to the exit of the common room and headed for his quarters.

The smell of burnt flesh still lingered in the air.

* * *

A few minutes later Sasuke's bedroom came into view. He opened the door with his foot, which took a limited amount of difficulty, and closed it immediately once he was inside. His chamber was enclosed in pitch-blackness. The moonlight was the only source of illumination that shone through the bedroom window. 

He swiftly made his way past all the furniture and cautiously placed Sakura on the navy-covered bed. It was only when he had laid her down that he noticed that his hands and front of his shirt was completely soaked with crimson liquid. Blood. Her blood. Sasuke looked down at the girl who lay on his double bed. Sasuke sat down on the side of the bed, next to Sakura. He brushed a pink strand of hair away from the young woman's face and examined her closely.

The little anbu appeared shattered. Her clothes were strewn with blood. Sakura's pink hair had streaks of red in it. He noted the thin scarlet line a trickle of blood had made just below her eye. Blue blemishes covered her now pale skin. Her cheek were swollen and warped; even the blindest person could conclude that it was broken.

They really did a good job on her. Sasuke sighed and stood. She had lost a lot of blood and if he didn't do something as quickly as possible then saving her would have been a waste. The Sharingan- user scanned the room. He hoped he still had it. Sasuke knelt down and checked under his bed.

Finding what he had been looking for, Sasuke dusted the lid off and stared at the green cross on the white box. He never used the medical aid box nor did he ask a certain medic-nin for help with his wounds. And he was glad, for both parts.

Sasuke lifted the top. Good, everything was still here. He returned his attention to Sakura. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

A/N : Okie so this is chapter three. We really enjoyed working on this one and we hope you enjoyed reading it. Waiting for chapter four you can go read one of our favorites its called **Hai hai oh Hime-sama**. Read it or dont we cant force you. We'll until next time. Plz dont forget to r & r 


	4. Guilt and restrain

Thanks to all who have reviewed. Everytime we get one we jump up and down O.O That might sound weird, but it gives you guys an idea on how much we appreciate it. Anywho back to the story, Enjoy it!

Disclaimer: We do not want to be sued so we have to say that we don't own naruto.

Chapter 4: Guilt and restrain

As the night dragged on, Sasuke finished attending to Sakura's wounds. He cursed while putting the first-aid kit down; a frown crept onto his handsome face.

Sakura's condition had worsened. There was little the Uchiha could do for her laboured breaths and her now white skin. No- he concluded- there was absolutely nothing he could do for the sleeping kunoichi. Feeling helpless again was not something Sasuke wanted to deal with. Powerless people were weak and he was not weak.

"Damn" Sasuke breathed, a strong hand brushed through raven.

He rested his elbows on his knees. Burying his heavy head into his hands. It was only at this moment that he became aware of how tired he actually was. The day's events had caught up to him. Slowly, Sasuke turned his head to the side and observed the slumbering form on his bed. He had always been in control of every situation and always knew what to do, however as he kept looking at the dead to the world girl, the uselessness he did not want to feel, engulfed him like the ocean's wave.

'If I hadn't left her with Orochimaru, she wouldn't have been in this state. If I hadn't pressured for a sparring partner so badly, we might not have met again. If… if I hadn't left Konoha…'

He quickly shook, getting rid of that thought. He didn't like where it was going. It's the exhaustion, he convinced himself. "I can't just sit around here and do nothing," he sighed.

Sasuke hoisted himself up from the bed and walked toward the bathroom. The tap creaked as he opened it, letting the water flow into the basin. He then peeled off his shirt that was drenched in blood and put it into the sink causing the water to immediately dye crimson. Before long, Sasuke's clothes were scattered on the floor. He stepped into the shower and twisted the handles.

The hot liquid cascaded down on him. It soothed every muscle in his body. Each second Sasuke was in there he felt the tension dissipate. He leaned against the wall and bowed his head allowing the water soak his hair. If only it could always be like this...

As Sasuke tugged his shirt back on, he felt the cold air play on his skin. It sent a small shiver up his spine and all remaining traces of the hot shower slowly vanished.

He took a final glance at himself in the mirror; his hair had grown to shoulder length and his face had aged dramatically since he was twelve. His eyes flashed with anger as the reflection reminded him of the reason for his seclusion.

No one could understand what he had and was going through, nobody. Leaving the mirror, he pushed the contemplation out of his head and slowly turned the knob of the door, which lead back to his bedroom.

Across from him, he could see the large woodenhead board that was being supported on the opposite wall just above his bed. He always thought it never fitted in his room, but strangely it seemed just right tonight. His eyes wondered to Sakura who was still fast asleep.

Noiselessly he walked, barefoot, across the room. When he reached the bed, he did not even bother to lift the covers, instead unhurriedly lowered himself onto the mattress next to the pink haired kunoichi. Trying hard not to disturb her. Placing his hands behind his head and struggled to get more comfortable. Uchiha Sasuke was not used to sharing, especially the bed he slept in. He took one last glance at the girl at his side. He felt some reassurance that her breathing was shallow but steady.

This had defiantly been a long night. Sasuke let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, listening to his teammates rhythmic breathing. It wasn't long before the Uchiha fell asleep.

* * *

BACK AT KONOHA: 

Hyuuga Neji made his way to the Hokage's office as fast as he possibly could. He clutched his stomach in pain and gritted his teeth. Many people in the building gaped at him as he hurried past but there was no time to care. He only had one objective and at this moment the only thing that kept him from that goal was the throbbing in his abdomen. His fist collided hard with the wooden door. The young man didn't even wait for an answer. He strode inside the office, closing the door immediately behind him.

"Tsunade-sama," he spoke with his deep and controlled voice.

A sudden moan was heard coming from a desk crowded with white papers. There was a shuffling of documents as the blond haired woman lifted her head and at the same time tried to expel a painful headache. The Byakugan-user's brows furrowed, this was hardly the time to be in the state she was in currently.

"Tsunade-sama," Neji reiterated but at this point his tone displayed hint of urgency.

"Ah Neji. I see you've come to report back on your team's scouting mission, but why didn't Sakura come with you?" she asked half dazed.

"Yes, but…" the Hyuuga paused, thinking of what to say next, "the routine check did not go as we had planned. In fact it turned out to be quite a disaster." even at serious occasions, Neji kept his cool and stayed very professional.

"What do you mean?" he had grabbed Tsunade's full attention.

"Our squad was ambushed by sixteen sound-nin. Two of our fellow anbu went down soon after. The only one's who were left standing were me and…" Neji hesitated and focused on some invisible spot on the wall, he continued, "Sakura."

He felt an eccentric sensation as he said her name. Tsunade, although suffering from an obvious hangover also noticed his hesitation.

Neji started again, "we were separated. I was stuck fighting six shinobi, while the rest went after Sakura," at this point Tsunade couldn't handle it anymore.

"What happened to Sakura? Where is she Hyuuga?" her effort to keep calm was fading.

"Once I got rid of the six attackers I looked for her," his gaze never left the wall, he did not dare to meet Tsunade's eyes. Neji took a deep breath and carried on. "I couldn't sense her charka. They left, taking her with them. I don't know, if she's alive," Neji experienced a disappointed in himself so high that a normal man would break down.

He wasn't strong enough; he could have tried to do so much better. He should have done more to protect her.

Tsunade remained motionless. The words that were spoken to her were so hard to believe. Perhaps it was denial.

Shaking her head, the Hokage finally found her voice.

"This is a grave problem we are facing here. Sakura is an important asset to Konoha and very dear to me. We cannot afford loose her!" Her calmness cracked. The tone in her voice rose.

She stood up and marched towards Neji, stopping in front of him. For the first time in the Hokage's office he had to look at her.

"But first you have to get that wound looked at," She placed her hand on his stomach. Tsunade had temporarily stopped the blood from flowing out. "That should be enough to hold you till you get down to the hospital. When you get back we can discuss how to get her home. "

"Yes Hokage-sama," The Coffee-haired man wheeled around to exit the room.

"Oh and Neji," Something in her voice had changed.

Neji felt a gentle hand being placed on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I know that you two are close and what she means to you. You have nothing to worry about; she'll be back in no time," her words had struck him hard, however his façade was kept impassive. Quietly Neji left.

Tsunade closed her eyes tightly. That headache of hers had increased by tenfold and it was not because of the Sake.

"Damn it Sakura! You better be alright."

* * *

As Hyuuga Neji exited the hospital, he made his way once more to the Hokage. The pain in his side had died to a dull aching, however Neji considered this twinge not from the wound in his stomach but someplace else. This injury could possibly not be fixed by any standard konoha medic-nin. 

If he did not get Sakura back, this wound would never be healed. Call it guilt, because Neji would not think it anything else.

As he neared the office where he had not been to long ago, he could already hear a conversation of voices coming from it. The one tone of voice was unmistakable and Neji recognized its owner at once.

"Tell us why we're here Baa-chan?" came the whining tone of Uzumaki Naruto.

Although being the Godaime, it took all of Tsunade's strength to prevent herself from pounding the blond boy. So she tried to stay calm for Naruto's sake of health. Kakashi and Shikamaru were also present, but didn't really bother or was to busy to make nearly as much an effort of a noise as Naruto did. The one was reading an orange covered book, god only knows what was in it and the other one found it to troublesome to match Uzumaki Naruto's loudness.

"I already told you. Everything will be explained once Ne-" Tsunade stopped midway through her sentence and looked at the person who had just entered the room.

"Ah Neji, we were just talking about you," Neji Made a low bow and took a seat next to Naruto.

"Now that we all are here, I will tell you why I have called you. One of our anbu squads was ambushed by the sound and… how can I say this, abducted one of our fellow shinobi. It's Sakura." Tsunade knew that the pink-haired girl's teammate would take this new less than well.

"What!" As predictable as always Naruto, Tsunade thought. "How could this happen!" the blonde shouted and she could have sworn the room had vibrated.

"Naruto calm down." The Godaime ordered, holding her composure.

"Calm down! How the hell can I calm down! They have Sakura-chan!" he was so hysterical; it appeared like he was on the verge of crying, "first they take Sasuke and now they kidnap Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto!" Tsunade's tolerance was wearing thin, but she knew the efforts to try and calm him were in vain.

Naruto's finger flew in the direction of Hyuuga Neji's pale face.

"YOU! You were with her! You should have taken better care of her, protected her! WHERE WERE YOU?" Naruto accused, his face red with anger.

"NARUTO!" Tsunade's voice boomed echoing around the room, "I won't have you make a fight out of this, instead of blaming people, sit down and shut up!" his mouth opened to say something but was cut short.

"Sit down Naruto," the silver haired jounnin had abandoned his Icha Icha paradise and rose from his chair, now standing across from his former student, "making a scene like this won't bring her back any faster."

Somehow his sensei's words got through to the blonde and he took his seat reluctantly. Abruptly he crossed his arms over his chest. Through all this the white-eyed anbu remained calm, he didn't speak nor did he try to defend himself, for the reason that deep down inside of him he believed Naruto and blamed himself for everything.

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A/N: For all the SasuSaku fans don't worry about the love disappearing... we decided to add a little spice to the story. Even if it's mild. Let us reassure you that this is a fiction dedicated to Sakura and Sasuke. But hey, Neji deserves some-one too ;-)Thanx again for reading. Remember to review. 


	5. Navy Sheets

Thanx for the lovely reviews and we apologise greatly for our delay. After serious demands we've decided to update,this chapter may be short but we do not want to keep you guys waiting any longer.

Disclaimer: Naruto blah blah you know the rest

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Chapter 5 : Navy Sheets

The golden glow of daylight shone dazzlingly on Sakura, warming her quivering body. It would have been to early for her if she were back at home lying on her comfortable bed, but Sakura was not back in Konoha, she knew that.

All of yesterday's scenes replayed several times in her head. The guards, Orochimaru, Kabuto,

Sasuke…It was almost three years since she had last seen him. Their final meeting was not one she wanted to remember.

Cracking her eyes open a little, Sakura gasped and turned her head abruptly, digging her face into the duvet. Once her green orbs adjusted to the light behind the bedding; Sakura finally lifted her head and surveyed her surroundings.

She was lying in what looked like a double bed. Sakura lifted the sheets and grinned to herself. They were navy, typical. Sitting up she looked behind and noticed the bed's wooden headboard. The kunoichi let her eyes wonder around the room. 'Empty' described the bedroom she was in now. The walls were a dreary cream colour; a small coffee table was positioned in the centre of the room and a wardrobe stood against the cold wall. The room also included two doors. The one was obviously the bathroom door and the other perhaps, led out into the hallway.

The silence that filled the room told Sakura that she was alone; therefore figured it safe to venture away from the warm bed.

She swung her slender legs over the side of the bed but instantly wished she hadn't. An unexpected pain swept across her ribcage causing a loud to escape her lips; Sakura knew immediately that some of her ribs were broken. Shifting carefully, Sakura made another attempt to leave the bed.

The coldness of the floor stung her feet; nevertheless it was bearable enough to make her way to one of the doors. As the sixteen year old suspected, the chosen door led to a bathroom. It was simple, a basin, shower, toilet and a bathtub. She was surprised however to find it was clean.

"Hmph. I suppose even barbarians can be tidy!" she spoke to no one in particular.

Sakura stood in front of the bathroom mirror, which was found just above the basin. Staring at her badly swollen and bruised face, she thought about the training session with Ino which included a baseball bat, Sake and a very drunk Lee.

"I guess I'll have to fix this," she said sighing.

Lifting her hand to her face, Sakura began to build up the green, healing charka. A few minutes had past and she looked like her old self; with her appearance back to normal, Sakura turned her attention to her shoulder, but halted. She frowned and tilted her head in confusion. It was only now she noticed that she wasn't wearing her shirt anymore. The only belongings she had on were her form fitting pants, bra and a tightly wrapped bandage around her shoulder. Although she appreciated the medical treatment, the thought of someone undressing and seeing her in such an indecent condition infuriated her. Using her medical skills once more, Sakura erased the damage done by Orochimaru's guard.

Her concentration was grabbed by a clanging noise. She turned her head in the direction of the sound.

Another clang caught her curiosity and soon, Sakura found herself looking outside the bedroom window. The compound was larger than what she had expected to see and was surrounded by an even bigger looking wall.

"How could we not find this place?" she breathed out.

Standing in the room and staring out at this massive area made Sakura want to kick herself for being so stupid that she had not been able to locate this place. Soon her jade eyes fell on a recognizable character and with that person came the source of the racket.

"Sasuke," His name felt foreign for her to say.

She couldn't help the sudden urge to go to him.

Swiftly she made her way to the door but stopped when she remembered what she was dressed in, or the lack there of. Scanning the room she couldn't find a trace of her shirt but she spotted something else. Neatly folded clothes lay on the corner of the bed she had laid in. There was a shirt and some slacks. She walked over to the pile and gently picked up the garments. The material felt soft. She steadily pulled the top over her head. Sakura took her pants off and replaced them with the onyx pair of cargo pants; she noticed that the clothing were not made for a girl but the pink-haired teenager tried not to be picky.

As soon as she finished dressing in her new clothes her feet seemed to work by themselves. Each step took her closer to her former teammate. her friend? She did not know anymore. The way he acted the first time she saw him she knew something had changed, and it was not for the better.

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A/N: Chapter 6 will be posted ASAP. Our editor (Satachi) is away, however don't worry she will be back, along with the next chapter. Thank you for reading and if you have time please review. We'll love you forever!...erm yeah a bit melodramatic. Until next time, which hopefully will be soon. 


	6. Shall we spar?

So chapter six is finally here! We really enjoyed creating this chapter as a group and we hope you guys will have fun reading it. Lastly we'd like to thank the readers for their support. Especially Heartless Ghost, this chapter is dedicated to you.

Disclaimer: (we are in the being of not owning Naruto) our personal joke. Laughing is optional.

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Chapter 6: Shall we spar? 

Heading out the door,Sakura cautiously made her way down the long anddreary corridor. The build-up of anxiety inside her made her palms sweat. She was scared. Afraid of what might happen to her if she was to be caught.

Petrified of her team mate…

Sakura hadn't felt this nervous in a while. Last night's encounter with those men may have possibly left an unwanted emotion that caused her insides to turn uncomfortably.

The soles of her sandals clicked at every step she made. The noise seemed to beat vociferously against her ears. Sakura was getting closer to her never-ending goal. No one was going to keep her from achieving it.

Three years had past and her aim of getting Sasuke back had faded. Only hints of where the Uchiha was, the search became a wild goose chase. On the other hand, it wasn't the hide and seeks game that caused her determination to die away it was something else. No someone else…

Neji… Neji was a great deal similar to Sasuke. Perhaps it was this that attracted Sakura to the Hyuuga. She had befriended him and he, reluctantly, took the friendship. Five months later they became closer, but there was still a space between that forbade them to step into that gap.

Leaning both hands on the stone-cold wall, Sakura closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. What bothered the most was that her old feelings for the Uchiha had returned so quickly. She wanted to see his face and hear his voice again, although the first time had been overwhelming. She frowned, 'you're being pathetic, Sakura.' The kunoichi pushed herself off the wall and moved forward.

Ahead of her laid a small flight of stairs, which was illuminated by the sunlight; Sakura could smell the sweet scent of grass and burnt trees. She smiled and sped down the flight of steps. As Sakura progressed outside, she unexpectedly stepped back. The light was excruciating. The teenager shielded her eyes with her one hand and scanned the area. The open land stretched out vastly. Her lips parted when a breeze blew hundreds of cherry blossoms into the air. Beautiful described this scene, which was kind of ironic seeing where she was.

The jade-eyed girl shortly came across the person whom she had been looking for. Her breath hitched and brought her hands to her chest. Sakura bit her lip. Even after all this time she could not stop this habit when she was nervous.

Bent over slightly Sasuke had his hands propped up against the side of a tree. Sakura could tell that he was overdoing his training by the fast moving his chest made. 'No pain no gain,' Sakura's inner self sniggered.

She wanted to go to him but her feet felt like they were glued to the spot where she was standing on. Still looking at the young Uchiha, Sakura found it hard to swallow because of the lump that started to form in her throat.

'I'm not going to be weak! I am not that pitiable girl I was three years ago.' Sakura half reminded, half reprimanded herself.

She kept saying three words repeatedly in her head, 'ANBU squad captain.'

Swiftly she straightened her posture and forced her legs to move toward him.

The distance between the two was closing and the kunoichi's mind raced. There was so much she wanted to talk to him about, so much she wanted to ask him. Her steps halted suddenly.

'What if he doesn't want to speak to me? He probably doesn't even care that I'm here,' the consideration depressed her, however the more Sakura thought about it; the more she realized how ridiculous she was being. This wasn't the Sasuke she knew. The old Sasuke would have never left her at the mercy of Orochimaru. Her doubt soon vanished and a new sensation began to rise in her, an emotion full of hurt and betrayal.

Without any longer hesitation the rose-haired girl made her way to man whom she once knew as her friend and comrade. She stopped a feet behind him but he still gave no recognition of her being there.

This did not please Sakura.

Sasuke then again, had noticed his former team mate the moment she walked out into the open. Dealing with her now was something he did not want to do. Feeling that he wasn't ready to face her as well as everything she came with.

Sakura extended her to touch the back of Sasuke's shirt when it was violently wrenched behind her. A body was pressed up against her back, kunai held dangerously close to her neck. Her subjugator knew this wasn't necessary, but thought if he could somehow distract her so she wouldn't bring up the topic of why he left. The subject would be brought up sooner or later. Sasuke preferred the later than sooner. He congratulated himself for delaying the question with this action.

"Sasuke!" her brows furrowed. All the anger she occupied increased.

"I didn't expect you to be awake so soon?" Sasuke spoke in a low voice, bringing his face close to Sakura's ear. His warm breath against her skin made her shiver involuntary.

"I'm a fast healer... now let me go," Sasuke didn't realize the double meaning to that sentence.

'Why is he standing so close to me? Why is he still holding me if he knows who I am?'

Poor Sakura was swimming in a pool of confusion. She knew that if she denied enjoying their close proximity, she would be lying. She knew however that he would never figure out or see through her façade she had perfected over the years.

Tearing herself away from her train of thought and back to reality. Sakura searched her mind for something to say. Being clever was an advantage for it wasn't long before she found something to ask him. The previous day, when she was in Orochimaru's chamber, she remembered something Sasuke had said. This sparked a flame of curiosity inside her.

"Is it true what you said yesterday, that I'm your training partner now?" she asked innocently.

"Hn," was his simple answer, the grip on her loosened, although not by much.

"Why me?" Why did you bring me here to be you partner?" she inquired. Sakura strengthened her voice to prevent it from quavering.

"I didn't, the guards were told to bring the most capable shinobi they could find and it just happened to be you," this was the truth; there was no need to lie about it.

Running what he had just said Sakura formulated an idea.

"Then how about we spar for a bit?" her tone dripping with seriousness.

To tell the truth Sasuke was taken aback. He really didn't expect to hear that coming from the pink haired kunoichi, Uchiha Sasuke's famous smirk appeared on his face.

"How do you expect to spar against me? Your wounds aren't healed; I don't want to hurt you."

It was at this moment Sakura's turn to be surprised. Did the Uchiha Sasuke just show some concern for her welfare?

'No. Not Sasuke. He probably thinks I've haven't improved, that I'm still weak and that I'll be a let down when. Fine….'

Lowering her head, Sakura gave a sly smirk. A rush of adrenaline started to take over her. With a poof Sakura disappeared into a cloud of smoke, leaving Sasuke gasping for air.

His onyx eyes widened with confusion and shock.

"What th-?" his sentence was cut short when he felt a cold blade meet his neck. It wasn't very hard for Sasuke to figure out whom was standing behind him; holding the kunai.

"It would be reckless to underestimate me, Sasuke-kun" Sakura whispered out.

The Sharingan-user cursed himself for not noticing the Kage bunshin. He had let his guard down and it was just the break Sakura needed. While Sasuke answered the clone's waste of time questions he didn't notice the real Sakura sneaking up behind him and pick up a stray kunai.

He had to admit that Sakura had enhanced. Sasuke never would have thought that his once dependable team mate would out smart him with such a simple tactic.

Even though Sasuke was highly disappointed in himself, he was very impressed with Sakura and the level she had attained. Although it was far too early to applaud her skill.

"Well? Shall we begin?" the kunoichi enquired, her voice full of confidence. Currently wondering if it was a little too confident.

Sasuke closed his eyes whilst letting out a sigh. Giving a genuine smile, he vanished.

Sakura took this as a yes and crouched into a fighting stance, kunai still in hand.

Feeling the excitement mounting inside of her, she prepared herself for what was coming. It was accurate that her ability had increase immensely since she was twelve, but it made Sakura speculate in fear how much Sasuke's skill had escalated.

Concentrating her charka, Sakura tried to pinpoint Sasuke's position. Her eyes scanned the vegetation as she turned in a circle.

"Come on. Where are you?" she said in an inaudible tone. A mere second after, her query was responded.

He was behind her.

Sasuke started to rapidly form seals with his hands.

"Ryuuka no Jutsu," yelled Sasuke as he finished.

Jumping to her left, Sakura only barely dodged the immense amount of fire and chakra that came toward her. The Uchiha was wasting no time, seeing that he was heading directly for the pink haired girl. Sakura saw him approach and readied herself. Sasuke came at her, with a fury of punches and kicks. Sakura blocked them all fairly easily. Tai-Jutsu was after all her speciality. She waited for her moment to strike.

'There!' this was her chance; Sakura ducked a high kick and swiftly punched Sasuke in the abdomen. This sent him flying back. His spine collided with a tree, which caused the bark to crack. Sasuke, although being in some pain, stood up gracefully.

'How did she manage that? When did she become so strong?' he thought in astonishment but didn't have much time to figure out the answer when Sakura was in front of him and attempted to throw another punch. Instead of hitting Sasuke, her fist made contact with the unfortunate tree.

It collapsed with a thud. Silence followed thereafter…

The dust cleared and Sakura was still in the same position. Her breath was laboured. She wasn't used to holding her strength back, but it seemed like good practise. Control was something she was excellent in.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke's voice penetrated her thought. She straightened herself and turned her head. His back faced her. Her heart skipped a beat. Why the apology?

"S-sorry?" she was stunned, those words had never left the Uchiha's mouth before. Was this the long awaited admission of guilt for leaving them?

"I did misjudge you and I'm sorry for that."

Her heart felt like it had been dunked into a bucket of acid. Of course, he wasn't going to express regret about that… She let out a wispy chuckle.

"Uchiha Sasuke don't apologise to me, it makes you weak." she turned around and fell into her fighting stance.

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A/N: Another chapter completed! We really love your reviews and you are welcome to give us any ideas you have for the story. Until next time... 


	7. A Downsized Ego

A/N: So here we are again... I hope our fans haven't lost hope on us. This chapter is longer than before,

Disclaimer: We will never ever ever never ever never own Naruto

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Chapter 7: A Downsized Ego 

The sun shone groggily through the morning mist; the newborn daybreak shattered the previous evening's darkness. A hushed emptiness filled the streets of Konoha indicating that all the citizens of the village still lay slumbering in their beds.

Every single person was sleeping soundly… except for a selected few.

Four shinobi could have been seen at the gigantic entrance to the leaf village. Mainly teams would frequently assemble in front of these gates. The kaki uniform showed visibly that they were Jounin. No unusual shouting came from the group, which was awkward considering who it was.

"Ok, seeing that we're all here, we can now go through the plan on how to get Sakura–chan back," Uzamaki Naruto spoke in a professional, more serious, tone that contrasted greatly with his hyperactive personality; Naruto looked at the men before him: Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji.

The blond spoke again.

"We know that the sound have taken her," Naruto turned to Kiba, " will you be able to recognize Sakura-chan's scent?"

"No problem," Kiba grunted, a bit annoyed with Naruto for the underestimation.

"Good. Our team will firstly start off from where Sakura's scouting team were last fighting," Neji saw the glance Naruto gave him. " And then we will travel in line formation until we locate the sound's hideout. From there on we split up and search for Sakura-chan on our own." He looked at his team to see if they understood him.

"If…" Naruto paused. He attempted to calm himself down by closing his eyes and clenching his fists. Now was not the time to breakdown in front of everybody "…when one of us finds her, we'll radio each other and find a place where we can meet and return to Konoha. Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads illustrating that they all understood what they needed to do.

Shikamaru squinted upwards into the morning sky noticing the dark clouds that were beginning to form. The group heard the rumbling of thunder in the distance. The obviousness that it was going to rain made the squad slightly troubled, nevertheless the downpour was not going to halt their mission especially when this one was so important.

Each and every one of them was strong-minded to complete this mission successfully, but there was one individual more determined than the rest. The most unlikely person to have been selected to hold such a large amount of fortitude to retrieve Haruno Sakura… Hyuuga Neji.

He had not slept the night before, his mind unable to rest with its entire disarray. He could not switch the subject of the pink-haired kunoichi off. Of course he blamed himself. If it were not for his idiotic cowering, Sakura would have been safely at home or training with him.

Two years was all they needed to get closer and be taught more about each other. Nothing serious has happened between the pair but they considered themselves good friends and that was all. Occasionally he wished there was more to the relationship.

Hopefully they would find her and she would be okay.

'What if she's dead?' his eyebrows creased, 'No, Sakura's alive, she has to be.'

Neji looked at the blond before him. Naruto cherished Sakura deeply and the byakugan user became more confident that they would find her by Naruto being with them.

"Ok! Let's go!" Naruto shouted with his fist up in the air. Immediately the Jounin team made there way into the forest in search of their missing friend.

* * *

Sasuke knew that Sakura was not pleased with his apology. It was not the frown she gave him; it was the sudden darkening of her mood. Anger didn't really suit the girl. 

'Why is she angry with me? I said nothing wrong. Maybe she didn't hear me,' Sasuke clicked his tongue, " why do I even care?" he didn't like that this pink haired girl baffled him so.

Sakura's face was wiped blank as she stood in her fighting stance, but her mind held a mass of emotion. Sasuke had indirectly complimented her on how much she had improved. She was truly happy for it but alternatively Sakura experienced disappointment. She expected his apology to go farther than a meandering compliment; lamentably she knew that Uchiha Sasuke would never express regret for leaving Konoha.

The Kunoichi was now determined to illustrate to him just how much he had misjudged her. Sasuke had not actually seen her development and she was anxious to see the outcome if she were to go full out on the Uchiha prodigy.

"I'm not going easy on you, Sakura." Sasuke's bored voice penetrated her thoughts. Sakura lifted her head to see Sasuke getting into his fighting stance.

Another smirk found its way onto Sakura's face. Her jade eyes stared straight into her training partner's onyx ones. "I don't expect you to," she spoke in a threatening whisper. In a matter of seconds Sakura approached Sasuke at an impressive speed, which caught the missing-nin completely off guard.

Sasuke attempted to block the powerful blows Sakura was throwing at him. He kept on reminding himself that this girl in front of him was the same person who cried uncontrollably when he was about to leave the village. She came at him with much more flame in her than before and he was barley able to keep up.

This was going to be harder than what he had expected.

* * *

After a few hours of travelling, the Jounin group was soaked head to toe from the on going thunderstorm and it didn't look like it was going to clear up anytime soon. 

"Naruto, we should stop and find shelter from this storm until it passes!" Shikamaru unexpectedly shouted in the downpour. Naruto reluctantly agreed and before long the team sat silently in the four-man tent listening to the beating of the raindrops on the tent's roof.

The noise of the rain drove everyone insane. It would have prevented their insanity if the silence weren't assisting the pounding rhythm, making it seem ten times louder.

The fox boy shuffled to the opposite side of the tent, where Neji sat and took a seat next to him.

"Hey Neji?" the Hyuuga looked at Naruto, listening to what the blonde wanted to say.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I know you did your best and wanted to protect her. I shouldn't have blamed you for not trying hard enou-"

"Don't apologize. You were right. I should have done more to protect her. I will do everything in my power to bring her back." Naruto was speechless. The Huuyga was being too hard on himself and there was nothing Naruto could do. The blonde got up wordlessly and shifted himself back to the other side of the tent.

Neji gazed outside the tent's opening and reflected on how similar the weather was to his mood... Miserable

* * *

The uncompleted fight was eternity away from the end or that's what Sakura thought. Nevertheless what an impressive battle it had turned out to be. During the combat, Sakura had gotten stabbed in her thigh by Sasuke's kunai. She had a few scrapes, bruises and cuts but it was nothing she couldn't handle later. Sasuke had also gotten his fair share. The shining bruise on his cheek was part of his list not to mention a bloody lip from one of the kunoichi's punches. 

The fight was evenly matched. Sakura could not figure out a way to beat Sasuke, which annoyed her and it was the same aggravation Sasuke was feeling. He had tried almost everything but Sakura still stood standing.

'Come on Sakura think,' Sakura was stuck. Then it hit her; thinking was something she was good at; her mind brought her back to training with Tsunade. She could faintly remember something that the Hokage had told her. Make the enemy believe that they have the upper hand and that they have won… She thanked her sensei inwardly while formulating a plan.

The former members of team seven stood a few feet away from each other, both were preparing to make their next move. Sasuke motioned to Sakura to come at him. The young woman took a deep breath.

Teetering slightly from one foot to the other, Sakura's eyes rolled upward and closed. Directly after that she tumbled to the ground.

Sasuke saw the teenager fall and was completely flabbergasted. Sakura had just collapsed in front of him and the genius had no idea what to do.

Cautiously he approached the unconscious kunoichi.

"I told her she shouldn't have fought. Stupid girl, you're going to hurt yourself…again," he kept mumbling as he walked towards her figure.

Sasuke's body towered over Sakura wholay motionless on the floor. He closed his eyes and rubbed them with his thumb and index finger.

This was her chance. Sakura's eyes shot open. She launched herself at Sasuke. He was to in shock to realise what was going on. It was to late. Both of them came crashing to the ground. Sasuke's back made contact with the earth. He found it hard to breath because of the wind being knocked out of him. She fisted her hand. Cocking it back Sakura quickly propelled it forward. Her fist stopped a mere centimetre away from Sasuke's face. Slowly she retracted her hand.

Sakura was on top of him and wasn't intending to get off just yet. At this moment, Sasuke's facial expression was priceless. Sakura felt like she needed a camera. He stared up at the woman who was currently sitting on his abdomen. She leisurely lowered her head, showing no emotion what so ever.

"I warned you not to underestimate me," she spoke barely above a murmur. Her lips were directly next to The Uchiha's ear.

Sakura pulled her head back and surveyed the look on Sasuke's face again. It hadn't been in a while that Sakura saw something other than his stoic face. It was instead replaced by shock, complete disbelief. She really needed that camera…

After a long silence, Sakura started to experience awkwardness. Not one of the two had broken their gaze and she began to feel like he was looking directly through her.

The pink-haired girl had to admit that Sasuke had outgrown his child attractiveness and replaced it with downright gorgeousness. Come to think of it, all her friends had matured. Even Naruto had become quite handsome, although she always saw him as a brother figure.

'Hinata is a lucky girl. Now if only Naruto could just get a clue…' Sakura giggled to herself.

Shaking herself out of her daydreaming, Sakura realized she was still on top of Sasuke. It was at this moment that she also apprehended that the position they were in was far to intimate.

Swiftly, Sakura rolled off Sasuke. Lying down, on her back, next to him.

Usually the Uchiha chose not to speak since it didn't appeal to him, however at this point he was speechless for an entirely other motive. For the first time in a long time, excluding Orochimaru; Uchiha Sasuke had lost. Deep down he knew this day would come but never did he consider losing to Sakura.

From the corner of his eye Sasuke glanced at the person who was lying next to him. She lay with her hands behind her head, her eyes closed. She looked relaxed.

Her peaceful face showed no signs of worry or concern for where she was. This, Sasuke knew, was not going to end well.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke lay on the soft grass for a while. Although there was only silence, Sakura didn't mind. She enjoyed being with Sasuke even though there was no dialect. 

She couldn't for the life of her understand why she felt so safe in a dangerous situation like this. Sakura knew Sasuke had changed. Maybe it was to the extent of unpredictability. Her gut feeling told her to expect the unexpected from this Uchiha.

The figure next to her stirred, Sakura jerked her head up to see Sasuke pushing himself upward.

As she raised herself, her gaze was still locked onto the retreating form. Confused, she looked around for an answer on what to do next. Was following him the best option? It was as if Sasuke had read her mind. His steps came to a halt.

"Come," he said, his back facing her.

Not really bothering to see if she would follow him, Sasuke made his way back to the dreary hideout. After a slight hesitation, Sakura chased after Sasuke. The best was to do as she was told and not argue.

Once the two stepped inside, it was like someone had turned the main lights out. The lanterns, which clung onto the stone walls were the lone source on illumination.

Sakura began to feel curiosity take over her. She was about to ask, but ceased the thought when they faced the awfully familiar door of the room she had awakened in.

Sasuke entered the room and Sakura trailed. Without a sound she closed the door behind her. He walked toward the bathroom.

'_Why did Sasuke bring me back here?'_ Sakura's eyes slightly widened as she came to a realization, _'so I was right_. _This is Sasuke's room.'_

She walked aimlessly around, when something else came to her attention.

'_Wait… so these clothes I have on… are his!_' She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. _' Why am I blushing? It's not like he hasn't saved me before and…' _Sakura's eyes bulged in shock. Her mouth gaped open when she remembered the state she was in this morning. Sasuke had seen her… Her BRA! Sakura's blush deepened. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. The embarrassment was clearly seen on her face.

Frantically, she concentrated on something else, but failed miserably. The colour of her face still matched the colour of her hair. Never did she wish for her ANBU mask more than she did now. To hide all of the emotions, she did not want to show. How could the façade she had perfected over the years suddenly break down.

Sasuke re-entered the room and Sakura quickly turned around. There was no way he was going to see her like this. He walked past her and headed towards the door again. He froze at the door and rested his hand on the doorknob.

"I'll be back soon… Sakura you can't leave." this caused kunoichi to glance in his direction.

"What do you mean I can't leave?"

The Uchiha sighed. "I mean that you can never leave this place. You can't return to Konoha."

"What! Why can't I go back!" she yelled across the room.

"You've seen to much. If you go back you could lead people to back to this place. I can't allow that to happen." He spoke as if this thing happened daily. Sasuke stared at the girl who stood behind him.

"From now on Haruno Sakura, you are my prisoner."

* * *

A/N: What'd you guys think? Anonymous reviews are now welcome :D We have our exams coming up, so posting will take longer than usual. Thanks for understanding! Until next time. 


	8. Catch me if you can

A/N: Wow, it's been a while hasn't it. We want to thank you guys so much for your reviews. We love you people! Ok well don't want you to wait any longer, here it is chapter 8. Enjoy!

A basic disclaimer: we do not own Naruto (duh)

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Chapter 8: Catch me if you can

"What?" was the word that tumbled out of Sakura's mouth. Who was he to make that decision?

Konoha was her home. Sasuke might have been able to abandon his friends; Sakura however, was not one for betrayal. The original idea was to get the Uchiha back to Konoha together with Naruto.

She took deep breaths to calm herself down; unfortunately her fury overpowered her self-control. _Prisoner?_ clenching her fists, Sakura ignored the pain from gritting her teeth. She moved without warning, aiming for Sasuke's head. He calmly turned to see Sakura's fist collide with the wall next to the doorframe. After removing her hand, Sasuke noted the huge crack left as a memento to remind him that she was not so keen on what he had said.

It was worthless consoling the woman when she was like this. Sasuke left, locking the door behind him. As he walked away from his room he wondered where Sakura had gotten her temper tantrums.

_I should have broken the wall down_, Sakura thought as she began to pace the room, but stopped short when she felt a throbbing sting. Sakura let out a hiss, she had forgotten about the wound on her thigh.

She slumped down on the edge of Sasuke's bed and drew what little chakra she had left into her hands. Soon her leg was back to normal leaving Sakura drained and tired. The bed felt soft underneath her. She let out a sigh, now was defiantly not the time for a nap. Rubbing her cold hands against her warm forehead, Sakura fought the onslaught of tears that were threatening to fall. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"That bastard!" Sakura grabbed a pillow behind her and flung it across the room. Sasuke had done it once again. How could he easily make her feel, worthless… weak?

The door hinges creaked open fifteen minutes later. Sakura's body tensed but relaxed when she saw Sasuke carrying a tray of food. The smell overtook her senses; it required all her might not to jump and grab it away from him, however Sakura was as stubborn as her Shishou. Losing was out of the question.

She averted her eyes away from Sasuke. He placed the tray on a nearby table and turned to look at the girl who found the ceiling more interesting than the raven-haired boy.

"I brought food," Sasuke stated. Sakura glared at him from the corner of her eye. If looks could kill he would have been a rotting corpse. Luckily for him it took more than just a glower to kill the Uchiha Sasuke. She stared at him for a second longer before returning her stare to the ceiling.

Could this girl hold a grudge or what? Nevertheless Sasuke had to admit that he deserved it, but letting her go back home was not something he could do.

He crossed his arms and stared at her impassively, "eat something befor-".

"Before what? Don't make as if you care," although Sakura knew Sasuke was right, she didn't want it to seem as if she was only eating because he had told her to.

"If you don't ea-"

"Fine Sasuke, I'll eat!" She roughly pushed herself from the bed and stalked toward the table taking the tray. Sasuke half expected her to walk back to the bed, but was surprised when she made a U-turn and headed for the bathroom. Sakura slammed the door closed behind her.

Standing alone Sasuke noted the pillow on the floor. He knelt and picked it up. Sakura was going to be a challenge. The sooner she learnt to accept it the sooner he could carry on with his daily schedule.

Taking a profound breath, he made his way to the bathroom door.

"You can't stay there forever Sakura," he declared, annoyance clearly etched in his tone of voice.

"I can try!" She replied through the door.

There was no talking between the two Shinobi afterward. Sasuke had positioned himself leaning his back against the bathroom's door. While closing his eyes his head rhythmically banged the wooden door; he had given up on knocking a long time ago.

Sakura placed the very appetizing, steamy, remarkably smelling, tray of food on the floor. She knew her stubbornness had gotten out of hand, but what could a girl do?

She needed to get out of this place. Examining her area, Sakura could not help but smile at the luck she had. At the corner of the bathroom, before the wall and ceiling connected, she noticed a small, but easy to fit through ventilation window.

Slowly Sakura made her way across the tiled floor. Making sure the door was still closed; she stretched her arms up and lifted herself. A slight breeze passed through the badly designed window. The kunoichi gathered the last of her strength and with one hand pushed at the window frame.

"Please…work,"

The pink-haired girl yelped when her hand pushed the glass pane down. She had no time to celebrate. To afraid to look back, Sakura speedily slide out the window.

Sasuke's eyes shot open. Something was not right. That noise he had just heard did not sound like an opening faucet. He wriggled the door handle for a second until deciding it was locked. Sasuke scowled. Moving away the Sharingan-user struggled to convince himself that Sakura didn't have the nerve to escape. However three years might have been enough to increase her gallantry.

Swiftly the Uchiha kicked the ill-fated door down and stepped into the room. The food was left untouched and she was nowhere to be seen. Haruno Sakura had escaped.

Sasuke made out what used to be the bathroom window. Clicking his tongue, he effortlessly climbed through the window, in search for Sakura.

* * *

Sakura felt the humored air beat against her skin as she pressed her sore legs to go further. Nearly at her limit and having no sense of direction, she knew she wouldn't have been able to out run Sasuke, but she was determined to try. _I can't stay with the man who wants revenge on Konoha,_ Sakura thought pushing away a branch covered with pine needles, _even if it means leaving Sasuke._

She knew he was catching up. The Kunoichi recognized the nearing chakra following her. Tripping on her feet, Sakura fell hard on the ground beneath her. She scrambled up and continued to move more hastily. She forced herself to think of something other than her impending doom.

_Neji…_

Sakura did not know why her mind pulled toward that direction. Perhaps her common sense told her that being her own heroine wasn't going to help in the situation she was in at this moment. She needed a Hero. Or maybe it was just the fact that she missed him and longed for him to be here. She didn't need a hero; she needed Neji.

Her body abruptly stopped. Sasuke wasn't behind her. In fact she didn't know where he was, which scared her. She whipped her head in the direction of some leaves that were rustling. The silence that followed after could have made any normal person insane.

Sakura gasped when she was forcefully flung against a close by tree. It took a while to register who had shoved her. She struggled in vain, Sasuke had pinned her firmly. His grip tightened every time she moved.

"Get off me," she pleaded, to exhausted to continue resisting.

" I already told you. I can't let you go back," he said grasping her forearms harder.

"Sasuke… you're hurting me,"

The Uchiha's hold loosened, but did not let go. "Come," he started to trek back with a vacillating Sakura. The Kunoichi inwardly sighed. Her luck earlier was just fate's game plan….

* * *

The two walked back wordlessly. Thunder rolled through the darkening sky. _Great _Sasuke thought dully, not only did he have to deal with this wilful girl but the weather as well. 

Sakura on the other hand thought that the weather's condition suited her mood perfectly. Sasuke wiped away a stray raindrop off his cheek and squinted up at the ominous clouds. He noticed the pink-haired female now walking alongside him. Even if she decided to participate with his pace he wasn't going to relinquish the grip he had on her until they'd reach the base.

Feeling pathetic, Sakura concentrated on the ground beneath her. A few raindrops would hit her shoulders each time she took a step forward. Her muscles ached and she was about to break down in front of her Captor.

Captor…

She glimpsed at Sasuke. He was not her teammate anymore or her friend. He was someone to be feared. Sasuke held the reigns and if she disregarded his superiority it would lead to her death. That's why she needed to get away.

Lifting her head she swallowed hard and took in what laid ahead of her. Orochimaru's lair seemed gloomier than before. She supposed it was more for concealing purposes rather than creating a first impression.

It was now or never. Sakura tensed, she was preparing to yank her arm away from him and run.

"Don't," warned Sasuke. Green eyes widened in disbelief. There was no way Sasuke had read her mind. She stared at Sasuke, not caring if her mouth stood open or closed. The Uchiha focused on the path before them and didn't bother returning her gaze.

She wanted to scream, but instead walked calmly next to Sasuke. Only a few more feet and they would be inside, away from the rain and farther away from Konoha.

* * *

A/N: so what'd you guys think? We will update ASAP so fear not. Until then... 


	9. Strong sentiments

A/N: we would like to thank you again for your reviews. If it weren't for you guys then we wouldn't know where we'd be. Thanx! Anyway back to this long a waited story

Disclaimer: Yes yes we own this story, but we will never own the original Naruto... ( damn)

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Chapter nine : Strong sentiments

The consuming darkness that came from outside's storm seemed to engulf the corridors of Orochimaru's hide out. Walking at a pace Sakura could feel chills run up her spine. She didn't know why, but the torches that complained by sizzling against the walls contributed to the obscurity.

Passing a few guards, Sakura noticed their attempt to leave a distance between her and the Uchiha as they were looking down and pressing themselves alongside the opposite wall when the pair strode past. Apparently they had heard what had happened the night before and decided it best to keep out of Sasuke's way.

As Sakura watched the figures disappear into the black she turned her head forward and cleared her throat a little. " You can let go of my arm now," she uttered weakly. Not sure if he had heard what she said Sakura spoke again, " I won't run away." Her eyes darted to the floor and back to the person in front of her. Sasuke was at least a head taller than her, which made her feel a bit inferior.

Sasuke's onyx eyes stared directly into Sakura's green ones. Her facial features caused the swimming sensation of uneasiness inside him. He considered what she had just said in his mind. Deciding that he believed the Kunoichi to an extent he cautiously released her arm, but kept his dark eyes glued on her.

Feeling a bit of relief that the Uchiha trusted her she tried to remind herself that a little bit of his trust did not earn him back her friendship. Sasuke was a different person now and letting her guard down would get her killed. The young medic-nin moved closer to him for the rest of the way. Soon they were standing in front of Sasuke's bedroom door.

Sasuke sidestepped, letting Sakura go in first. Closing the door behind him he made his way to the bathroom. Sakura frowned when he came out with her tray of food. She had forgotten about their 'modest' argument earlier. She coughed in embarrassment and looked away. She felt peculiarly guilty for not thanking him and it was not just because he was feeding her….

"Ahem…" Sakura cleared her throat once more, " Sasuke?"

His eyes darted from her to the table, " hn?", he set the tray gently before him and turned to Sakura, showing her that she had his full attention.

"I…", she bowed unexpectedly and continued. " Thank you for saving me from those men. If it weren't for you I could have been-" she choked a little. The last thing she wanted was to show the Uchiha the swirl of pitiful emotions that lay dormant inside of her. Those feelings she attempted to hide from herself as well. She felt the tears pushing their way up and bit her lip for control. Sniffing quickly she lowered her already bowed head. The heavy silence passed between them slowly, too slowly that time itself seemed to stop.

Sasuke swallowed, experiencing a little awkwardness he decided to speak, " it was nothing." His monotonous tone hovered for a few minutes in the air. Sakura straightened up, but did not take her gaze off the floor. Sasuke continued, " You should eat. It's cold b-"

"It's fine, I don't mind. Thank you," Sakura interrupted. Avoiding eye contact with her former teammate, she walked toward the table. She was starving moreover grateful that he did not punish her by taking the food away.

The Uchiha placed himself opposite the girl. She pushed her hair away from her face and composed herself. Picking up some chopsticks she said her thanks and began to eat. Sasuke sat crossed armed staring intently at the person before him. Sakura looked up. She abruptly stopped eating when she saw Sasuke's stare.

"What?" she asked, surprised with his behavior.

"Hn," was Sasuke's reply.

It didn't take long before Sakura was finished, the rice bowl grinded against the surface of the table when she pushed it away from her. Covering a yawn she knew she was completely worn out. Before she could fall into a deep sleep on the table, Sakura was awoken by a voice.

"You will be staying with me, here. No walking around or snooping. If that does not suit you, you can sleep with the guards." Although it was an empty threat for him, he supposed Sakura would take it more seriously. However the Kunoichi only heard half of what was being told to her. So she nodded with her eyes close and got up.

Her light-headedness made her clutch onto the back of the chair. Sasuke stood up keeping a close eye on her. Sakura took a few moments to recover before slumping to Sasuke's bed. He, not in the slightest, would have admitted that it was his fault that she had tripped, because he was walking to close behind her. She yelped when her body fell forward and didn't realize the strong hands grabbing her around her waist until she told herself that she was almost hovering above the floor.

Confused Sakura turned her head to look at Sasuke. She did not know why she fell, but at this moment she did not care. Her breathing became uneven when he did not let her go. Sasuke swallowed the saliva that had accumulated in his mouth. He pulled her against him to help her stand upright. Somehow she had turned around facing him, his hands still in the same position when he had caught her. Sakura's eyes widened after grasping the fact that he was leaning closer….

Her heart batted against her throat.

Was this a dream?

Sasuke stopped; letting go of her he stormed toward the bathroom and slammed the door. Sakura sighed; she was too tired to question what had just happened. She dropped onto the bed. The squeaking of the faucet and water pounding against the shower floor was the only thing she heard before drifting off.

Switching off all the lights Sasuke made his way to his bed. He lowered himself carefully, trying not to wake Sakura who was muttering incoherent words under her breath. As Sasuke shifted to get more comfortable he felt Sakura stir and frowned after hearing her murmuring.

_Neji? _His frown deepened, _when did that happen?_

He could not help tearing his stare away from the girl next to him. It seemed that a lot had happened during the time that team seven were apart. Either way, Sasuke found the situation a smudge amusing even if were taking Sakura's free will away…

* * *

The morning sun broke through the provoking clouds. The rain had cleared up and left team-Naruto in a foul mood. This storm had wasted their precious searching time. While gathering up the equipment none of them spoke a word.

Feeling the damp grass where his sandals did not cover his feet, he breathed in the crisp morning air to stay focused. Neji had placed himself on a rock waiting for the rest of the team. He was eager to get started. Examining each member it appeared that every person was doing his own thing.

A few feet away from him stood Shikamaru and Kiba. The dog-boy was complaining about Akamaru not listening to him. Nara Shikamaru replied by rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. Neji shook his head. This mission was serious and nobody seemed to be taking it seriously. Except, the Huuyga altered his gaze to Naruto. The blonde was kneeling down, stuffing his bag roughly. Tossing it over his shoulder and standing up he then turned his attention toward the group.

"Hey everyone, listen up." Naruto said in a rather authoritative tone of voice. Neji lifted himself up and strode to the team captain. Kiba immediately halted his whining and Shikamaru's expression switched from bored to somber.

" I hope you had a good night's rest, because I expect your highest performance in this mission. We will need it to find Sakura-chan," everyone nodded in agreement. Naruto continued, " ok then we'll get to it. Neji lead the way…" With that said the group followed the Huuyga into the greenery in the direction of where the missing Kunoichi was last seen.

Time dragged on as they neared the open area where Sakura's team was ambushed. Neji struggled to block the images out when he and Sakura were attacked. At the beginning of the assault the Huuyga had a sense that the Sound-nin were going after his Pink haired teammate, but he didn't do anything about it. His jaw tightened as he thought about it further. Once that she was separated with him, it was impossible to get near her, if he only did something to save her. His nails dug into his palms.

"Neji calm down," Naruto whispered behind him. Neji took a mouthful of air.

A few minutes passed when Naruto called the group to a halt. He faced the Inuzuka.

"Kiba, see if you can find any trace of Sakura's sent."

"It's going to be difficult because of the rain and all-"

"Try," Neji interrupted. He was beginning to experience a small amount of agitation.

The team all watch Kiba get down on all fours and get Sakura's scent. Their hope shattered when he got up and shook his head in defeat.

"Damn it!" Neji yelled ramming his fist into a nearby tree. His chest heaved, " damn it…" Never before had his three companions seen him lose his composure. Shock was a understatement.

Naruto shook his head and let out a frustrated groan. " Kiba are you sure?" his question sounded more like a plea.

"I'm sorry Naruto, she's gone." The words snapped Neji back to reality.

"Sakura is not gone! She's not gone until I say so!" He activated his Byakugan and headed for Kiba, but Naruto stepped in between them. " Neji calm down!" his blue eyes flashed with determination and threat. " Shikamaru you and Kiba go west and search for any clues Sakura might have left behind. Neji and I'll go north. Contact us with the radios you were given earlier every hour. Do you understand?"

Nara Shikamaru smirked; Naruto was defiantly going to make an excellent Hokage. He unfolded his arms and picked his gear up.

"Hai."

* * *

A/N: Ok done but not finished, hehe. We particularly loved creating Neji's melt-down. Stone-like guys have feelings too. Please let us know what you guys think! Signing out :P 


	10. An appointment with death

A/N: Phew, our chapter is finally out! we thank you all for reading. Enjoy the chapter...

Disclaimer: Never will we own Naruto

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An appointment with death

The new morning's sun shone through the window. As the hideout was half underground the sunshine didn't fill the whole room making it dreary. Sakura's eyes flickered open a small smile played on her lips. She felt refreshed. Slowly sitting up she scanned the room. Her smile fell once she reminded herself where she was. Sakura held her pink hair up with both her hands. She let her arms flopped down, but regretted her action when her right hand hit a lump. She forced herself to look at what she had just smacked even though her heart beat against her throat. Haruno Sakura was watching the Uchiha sleep.

_This wasn't exactly how I imagined it, _she considered rolling her fantasy of her and Sasuke with a bottle of wine, while rose petals dropped gently from the sky. Sasuke would approach her and speak in his husky voice and then… She was suddenly ripped from her reverie by that same voice.

"It's rude to stare, Sakura." Sasuke said his eyes still closed.

Her face grew hot. She bit her lip from embarrassment. Only now did she realise how close she really was to him. Sakura jerked back, giving them less proximity. He opened his onyx eyes slowly and for a second they gazed ate each other. The Kunoichi's blushing increased. It felt as if Sasuke knew what she was thinking.

Inner Sakura disapproved of her fantasy and for bringing it up at a time like this. She reprimanded herself for letting her guard down as well.

" I-I didn't, " those were the only words she managed to stutter out. _Damn it, _Sakura thought. She had no idea what else to say other than, " sorry". The Kunoichi lowered her head and decided to rid the bed sheets of its little balls of loose fluff.

Sasuke found it amusing that Sakura would get so lost in her thought that he was awake the whole time. Describing woman as strange was an underestimation.

"Hn,' was his reply. Deciding to get up and dressed, Sasuke sat up swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed his face with his hands. He pushed himelf up and turned to Sakura. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, however the knock at the door interrupted his action. Sakura saw a hint of annoyance on Sasuke's expression, but could not assure it was because the Uchiha turned around and headed for the door.

_What now? _Sasuke thought moodily as he opened the door.

"Good morning Sasuke-sama," Sakura heard a gruff voice coming from the doorway. Curious she craned her neck to see the guard, but Sasuke blocked her view. She wondered what the man wanted so early. Sasuke stared callously at the guard giving no greeting in return.

Nervious the male swallowed the accumulating spit that had formed in his mouth and continued. " I have an important message from Orochimaru-sama. He wishes to see your new training partner," he stated in a weak tone.

Sasuke didn't understand why Orochimaru was so interested in Sakura. His mentor had a nasty habit of getting into his business. He was afraid Orochimaru would want a meeting with Sakura, but he was more afraid of what he might do to Sakura if they were to meet alone. Nothing good would come out of this. The raven-haired teenager didn't want her to go, although knew he couldn't keep her away from him either.

"She's busy. She'll come and see him later today," delaying their 'appointment' was the only thing he could do for now. He started to close the door, but the guard's foot blocked Sasuke from fully closing it.

" You don't understand. Orochimaru-sama would like to see her, now." His tone seemed to change into one of urgency, this made Sasuke moodier. His dark eyes narrowed this man was likely to leave without a foot…

Leaning a bit back he turned his head to Sakura who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was giving him a questioning look, which he ignored. " Sasuke?" she asked. He ignored her and faced the messenger.

"Give her ten minutes, now leave." He ordered, slamming the door behind him. Not caring whether the man managed to remove his foot or not. " Get dressed," he said to Sakura who still looked puzzled. She wanted to know what was going on. Sakura knew their conversation was about her, but it felt as if she was being kept in the dark about something on purpose. Sasuke would probably spring it on her later. The Uchiha marched to the couch and sat down. His mood had been officially ruined, however no one would say Sasuke was ever in a good mood.

Ten minutes later Sasuke and Sakura were making their way down the familiarly dreary passageway with the sound-nin leading the way.

"Sakura, Orochimaru wants to meet with you," Sasuke said scowling.

Sakura's green eyes widened, " you could of told me earlier". She wasn't really that surprised, the correct term would be uneasy and every step toward his lair now seemed to make Sakura skip a breath. Her fingers played with the hem of her Anbu outfit. Inside Sakura's turmoil of stress made it unbearable to think straight that she was almost at the brink of losing consciousness. Yet she kept her cool, her façade not showing any emotion.

Soon the snake's chamber doors came into view. This only took her back to the first time she was here. The experience was not one of sunshine and happiness.

The guard came to an abrupt stop and reached out to grasp the door handle. Opening the door, he let Sakura step inside first. When Sasuke made a move to go inside he was stopped by a hand being placed on his shoulder. Kabuto walked around Sasuke and then stepped in front of him, still grasping his shoulder firmly.

"I think it will be better if Sakura-chan goes in alone." the Medic-nin said with a menacing grin on his face.

Sasuke's brows furrowed. He had a nagging feeling that something dire was going to happen and Sasuke hated it. He glanced over Kabuto's shoulder barely seeing Saukra's pink hair in the darkness. Sasuke saw Sakura turn slightly to look at him, but before he could see her face properly, Kabuto shut the door. Separating them.

* * *

Sakura didn't know what to think when Kabuto closed the door. She was alone, no Sasuke. _Wait, I don't need Sasuke_, she told herself. _I'm Anbu I shouldn't be afraid._ Sakura was fully capable of defending herself, but why was she so scared? 

The Kunoichi swallowed hard and concentrated on looking ahead of her. The room was considerably darker than the hall, so her eyes had to adjust to the faint flicker of ginger light. Sakura shuffled forward, not sure if that was the right choice.

She readied herself for anything. That however didn't help much for raising her confidence.

She stepped again and stopped. In front of her stood the silhouette of a man. Sakura knew it was no ordinary man. She couldn't see how he could even be considered a man.

"Orochimaru." Sakura had never spoken with so much disgust in her voice. The more she stared at the shadowy figure, the more her fear started to fade. Orochimaru stepped into the dim glow, revealing his pale face and ominous yellow eyes.

"It's good to see you too…Sakura" the ashen-faced man spoke, his voice dripped with an amusing malice.

The girl's eyebrows lifted. _How? How can he still remember me? _Sakura was shocked and Orochimaru noticed this easily, bringing a sickening smile to his face.

"I knew I saw you before but I just couldn't quite remember where." His voice was calm as he began walking towards Sakura. " I make a point on knowing Sasuke-kun's old team-mates…" Orochimaru said whilst circling Sakura.

Stopping behind her, the sanin lower his head next to her. "You've grown a lot. You're stronger than you were and you're even almost able to keep up with my Sasuke-kun. Very, very impressive." He raised his hand and brushed his fingers through Sakura's pink hair.

Although she was clenching her fists and jaw, Sakura closed her eyes to calm herself, which did not help.

"Don't touch me!" she spat out threateningly. This resulted only in making Orochimaru laugh.

"Sakura, Sakura. As I'm sure you've noticed, this is my domain and I can do anything I wish. As long as you're here, I'll do what a please." This was not something that Sakura wanted to hear.

"Not if I can help it!" Sakura swung her arm at the former Akatsuki mukenin but dodged it and was once again before the kunoichi.

"Don't try my patience girl!" Orochimaru warned. "You are in no position to do so."

"You don't frighten me anymore. You are a traitor. You have betrayed your village, killed many innocent people and have taken Sasuke away from us. You must be a complete lunatic if you think I'm going to take orders from you." Sakura said boldly.

Orochimaru smirked and then moved with immense speed in Sakura's direction. Before she could move, he had already seized her throat with his hand. Sakura gasped for air, his hand restricting any air to get to her lungs.

"I have warned you but you chose to be stubborn," his grip tightened. "You might actually be a problem if you are going to stay here. Well, we're just going to have to fix that now don't we?"

Sasuke stood outside the door. Starting to feel restless, he tapped his foot against the stone floor. Sakura had been inside for merely a few minutes and although he didn't want to admit it, he was worried. Orochimaru could have injured her by now, or worse.

_I can't let him hurt her. If he injures her how does he expect me to become stronger? _He clicked his tongue and pushed Kabuto out of the way. Swinging the door open he did not care what Orochimaru would do to him. He took a few paces before coming to complete stop. Although his face showed no emotion, inside Sasuke couldn't believe what he was seeing and had to blink a few times before confirming the scene before him was real. Orochimaru's hand was grasped around Sakura's throat and it looked like she was struggling to breathe.

_I knew this would happen_ Sasuke thought angrily.

The snake sanin turned his attention to the young man who had barged in unannounced. Sakura saw an opening and with some effort seized Orochimaru's wrists and ripped them off her throat. Wheezing the bubblegum haired teenager cocked her fist back and collided it with Orochimaru's cheek. This caused the man to stumble back a little. He narrowed his eyes at Sakura and wiped off the blood at the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

The young medic took a second to regain her composure. Standing up straight she stared at Orochimaru who looked as if he was about to attack her. On the other side of the room, Sasuke was standing with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He was impressed that Sakura had the courage to do this to Orochimaru.

"Don't… ever… touch…me…again." Sakura puffed out. She turned to the person behind her and gave him a weak smile.

"Sakura let's go." The raven-haired teenager called to is training partner. Sakura did what he said and stomped over to where Sasuke stood. She didn't even reach him before Orochimaru decided to speak again.

"You should be very lucky Sasuke-kun has a soft spot for you. We both know what would have happened earlier if he didn't have such concern for you and barged in." it seemed as if his words carried a certain disappointment. Disappointed that Sasuke could possible care about Sakura? That he interrupted him? Or maybe it was because of both.

"Come Sakura." Sasuke said again, trying to overlook what the mukenin had just said. Why he wanted to ignore what his mentor had pointed out, not even he knew.

* * *

Huge relief passed through Sakura once they were out of the room. She didn't want to spend one more second in the presence of that thing. Orochimaru disgusted her to no end and the reality that Sasuke had chosen to go with him all for the sake of power saddened her. 

No… it angered her.

"You know I would have been fine on my own. I could have handled it by myself." Sakura said while glaring directly at the Uchiha.

"Hm really? Was that before or after you couldn't breathe?" Sasuke said while turning to look at the girl who was walking beside him. A faint smirk placed on his hansom face. Sakura was utterly speechless.

Sasuke examined Sakura's expression. She looked like a boulder had just hit her. He was going to ask what was wrong, but when a warm hand was place on his forehead that question flew right out of the window and a new one was formed.

"What are you doing?" his eyebrows knitted as he spoke.

"I'm just checking to see if you have a feverl. Something has to be wrong because the Uchiha Sasuke just made a joke!" Sakura retracted her hand and was smiling so widely that she thought it would be hard to wipe it off.

"You just nearly escaped death and yet have the energy to mock me?" Sasuke didn't know what was wrong with him today. Joking was not really something he would do, but Sakura was changing him and he knew it.

"Excuse you! I couldn't have been farther away from death. I had everything under control." the stubborn Kunoichi crossed her arms. Sakura couldn't believe this was happening. Sasuke was actually acting…normal.

"Sure." the Uchiha responded turning around to start walking but a guard blocked his path. Sakura's smile instantly faded.

"What?" Sasuke snapped. He was not in the mood for another sound-nin.

"Sasuke-sama." the guard bowed, "We have some news that might please you. We've found him. We've found Itachi."

* * *

A/n: Whoo we hoped you guys enjoyed it! Tell us what you think, until next time. 


	11. A hasty departure

A/N: Well it's about time we updated. thank you so much for your patience, we hope you haven't forgotten the story, enjoy!

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Chapter 11 : A Hasty Departure

The room decreased in temperature as soon as Sasuke's older brother's name was mentioned. The icy sharpness caused Sakura's spine to tingle and her gaze moved from the messenger to Sasuke. She noticed as his knuckles turned white from his clenched fists. He fixed his eyes onto the floor and Sakura could see he was trying so hard to keep the combination of anger, excitement and abhorrence from pouring out, that he was literally shaking.

Finally, this was his chance to prove himself. This was his chance to avenge his clan and kill Itachi. As soon as his rush was over, he removed his stare from the floor and looked at the guard.

"I'll leave immediately."

* * *

As Naruto watched the retreating backs of Shikamaru and Kiba, he moved his attention to Neji who was continuously kicking the ground with the front of his sandal. Once Naruto smelt the dust that was being kicked up, the blonde sighed and turned to the Huuyga.

"Neji," Naruto spoke in a gentle tone, which contrasted greatly to his obnoxious tone of voice. Neji seemed not to hear him as he continued his kicking marathon. Only when he felt a hand grasping his shoulder did he look up.

"I care for Sakura-chan as much as you do and I won't accept the fact that she's dead. She is alive and we _will _find her. I promise." Although Naruto knew that making vacant promises would make him feel guilty, it was what he believed in, he needed to cheer the man in front of him up.

Neji nodded slightly and gave a weak smile; he was returned by a warm grin from Naruto.

"Alright, let's go!" the blonde shouted pointing in the northern direction they were supposed to go.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity of tree jumping there were still no concrete evidence of Sakura's whereabouts. It seemed pathetic that two of the strongest Ninja in Konoha could not track down one person. The silence annoyed Naruto to no end; he knew Neji wasn't as talkative as he was but Uzumaki Naruto did not do quiet. A sly smirk played across his face.

"Hey Neji?"

To deep in thought Neji did not answer, but turned his head to look at Naruto to show that he was still listening. Although Naruto knew that this wasn't going to be the wisest question to ask he continued anyway.

"You know, I was think…" he trailed off, not knowing whether to carry.

"About?" a streak of irritation ran through Neji when Naruto paused.

"Well, when we get Sakura back why don't you ask her to marry you?" This was the last question he expected to be asked. Neji skipped a branch, but landed gracefully on another. He was to bewildered to hear the boom of laughter that Naruto emitted. The Huuyga's face was priceless.

"Neji," Naruto gasped for air, " it was just a suggestion." His laughter grew louder from the death glare that was thrown toward him. Neji was not pleased.

* * *

"Come on," Sasuke said, grabbing Sakura's hand and dragged her quickly in the direction of his room. Sakura had to hold herself back a little to prevent colliding into Sasuke's back.

She was speechless.

_He's… He's holding my hand_, the pink-haired teenager thought. Sakura swallowed hard and felt the blush spread across her cheeks. She kind of liked his warm hands encircling hers.

They reached his room in a matter of minutes and once they were inside Sasuke her hand go. It was then that he became fully aware of what he had done. Yes, he had grabbed Sakura's hand, but what plagued him was why he did it. There was no answer.

That instant when he let go of her hand he felt an unexpected longing to hold it again. However as soon the feeling came it went.

This was not the time to become soft, especially when he was to close to his goal. There was something about the girl that made him uncomfortably stupid. As took a fleeting glance at her, his stomach twisted.

Before he drifted off into the subject of Sakura, he stalked around the room gathering the necessary items for his fight. Sakura just stood there staring at the Uchiha.

"You're going after Itachi, aren't you?" she wasn't enquiring but merely stating it as a fact.

"Hn," was her reply.

"Are you going to take anyone with you?"

"No," Sasuke didn't like the direction of the conversation, but continued packing his weapons.

The silence was broken again.

"Take me with you," Sakura said stepping forward. She had said it; there was no going back. Her voice was so soft that Sasuke almost didn't hear what she had said. The Sharingan-user stopped what he was doing and faced his ex-team mate.

"What?" he had to make sure that what he thought she said was correct. Sakura, who was now feeling embarrassed for asking, lowered her head and stared at the floor.

"Take me with you," she repeated.

"No," his reply came out immediately. Sakura jerked her head up and gazed intently into Sasuke's onyx eyes.

"B-but why?" she shouted, a little too loudly.

"I said no," he said impatiently.

"Why won't you let anyone help you? Is it always necessary to do everything on your own?" Sakura grit her teeth attempting to maintain he composure. Her jaw relaxed and her eyes became glossy from the tears.

"I haven't seen you in years and now you're leaving again! What if you don't come back?" the tears were threatening to fall.

"You haven't changed, have you?" You're still that annoying girl from when we were young. Stop acting so pathetic." He paused and closed his eyes when he realised what he had said. He swiftly picked his pack up. Turning around to look at Sakura he felt a twinge of hate for himself.

Why the tears, which were now streaming down her face, affected him only Kami-sama would know.

_I'm an ass_, Sasuke thought with a sigh.

_Why am I crying, I promised I would stop and now look at me. Maybe Sasuke's right I am pathetic. _Sakura thought sadly.

The Uchiha stood motionless, not knowing what to do or say. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and stepped toward her.

"Sakura I…" Sakura turned her head away from him.

Damnit, he didn't understand why felt so guilty. Sasuke took a deep breath.

"I will make sure that you are not harmed while I am gone." he paused, "I would like it if you were still here when I return. If I am not back within a couple of days you are free to go." With that said Sasuke walked toward the door, but stopped in the entrance and gently placed his hand on the wooden doorframe. There was still something that he needed to say to her.

"Sakura," his tone of voice made her face him.

"I would never forgive myself if you were hurt whilst trying to help me." Sasuke spoke coolly and moved forward once again, "I am sorry." And with that, Sasuke left.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter done! We'll try update soon, let us know what you think, until then! 


	12. Shattered

A/N: well...after a trillion years we're finally posting this chapter. Thanx for the reviews, we would like to hear more! We've also started fanart so any of you guys interested in drawing for this story, we would loooooove to see it. Ok well onto the story!!

Disclaimer: No...we do not blah blah blah u know the rest

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****Chapter 12: Shattered**

His breathing was deep and slow, profoundly confused on what had happened and what he had said. He had to get his thoughts straight. Leaning against the wooden door he felt Sakura's aura behind it. A few days ago his emotions were intact, nothing would have fazed him, concealed in his own world surrounded with a high wall, which no one could break. But now…

He bowed his head and shut his eyes tightly. The more he pushed these thoughts out of his head the more they came flooding in. This girl or woman or whatever she was, was the reason for his traumatic emotional tempest. This unwelcoming feeling gnawed at the pit of his stomach and there was nothing he could do to banish it.

Sasuke sighed, his fingers etching slightly toward the door's handle. He wanted to burst in the room and enlighten her on what she was doing to him and ask her how she could fix it. His hand stopped. This wasn't the time and blaming Sakura would only make things worst. Letting go another sigh Sasuke moved away from the door. The Uchiha wouldn't admit it openly, but he did not want Sakura to get hurt. Maybe the reason was out of habit. He and Naruto always had that job of protecting her.

He acknowledged the fact that he did mean everything he had said to his training partner. However he could not stop himself thinking this meant that he felt something more for her. He swallowed and softly cleared throat. He was only a man and he had noticed how much Sakura had…changed.

Sasuke violently shook his head; there was no time for this. He had more important things to worry about. This was just a phase and it would soon pass.

He stalked off pushing out those unneeded thoughts. The rush of anticipation gave Sasuke goosebumps. His chance to kill his brother was finally here and nothing could ruin it. Nevertheless he still remembered his promise that Sakura would not be harmed. Sasuke headed toward Orochimaru's chamber.

* * *

As she heard the door click shut Sakura fell to the floor. Uchiha Sasuke had left her once again.

Tears streamed down her face, her heart beat ferociously against her ribcage. Her calm façade felt as if it had dropped and shattered across the floor. No one was here to prevent her from falling apart. It was the matter of being alone again. It was the build-up over the years. It was that she felt weak and pathetic.

It was the fact that she still loved him.

A few moments had passed before Sakura ceased her crying. Her fingers laced into her pink strands. Her mind kept replaying the last thing Sasuke had said to her. A gasp left her parted lips. Was that the final thing he would ever say to her? Would Sasuke even come back? Once again her green eyes were filled with tears and Sakura didn't even bother to stop them.

* * *

A day had passed since Sasuke's departure and Sakura had not left the room. She spent most of her time under the duvet burying her face into the pillows.

The teenager was mentally and physically exhausted. Sleep was an impossible task. She slowly sat up. Turning her head toward the window, Sakura noticed shimmering light that indicated it was dawn.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she rubbed both hands with her face. Sakura stood and sauntered to the bathroom. She opened the faucet, which moaned from disuse. The water sped out and for a while Sakura watched it flow down the drain before sticking her hands underneath. She didn't bother looking up into the mirror, for she knew she looked like a wreck.

Cupping her hands, Sakura scooped up some water and splashed it against her warm face. The water felt refreshing and cool. She wiped her face dry and decided to go for a walk. Maybe wondering around aimlessly would help her clear her mind.

The hallway was empty and the silence made Sakura's ears ring, but she didn't mind the eerie emptiness, because it matched her mood. Trying to not disturb the protruding stillness, the medic made her way in the direction of the outside where she and Sasuke had previously sparred. As she arrived at the entrance she felt the crisp morning air wash over her. This may have been the best idea she had today. She stepped out unto the soft ground and awed at the amazing scenery.

"You're up early Sakura-chan," in a second her peacefulness was crushed.

" I could have said the same for you, Kabuto."

"I'm flattered you still remember me." The Sound-nin teased as he moved to stand next to the Kunoichi. Sakura stiffened a little by his action. The pair stood staring at the landscape for a while.

It was Kabuto who decided to ruin the quiet once more.

"I usually come out here when there is something bothering me and need to think. Something tells me that is why you are here this morning." Kabuto spoke calmly and Sakura clenched her teeth out of irritation because of the man's unwelcome presence. "You're worried about Sasuke-kun." the medicine specialist turned to face the girl beside him and smiled.

She had forgotten that her mask of calm demeanor was shattered on Sasuke's bedroom floor.

"Who said I was worried?" her voice was even with no hint of emotion. It surprised her that her tone of voice sounded so unaffected when she felt the contrary.

Kabuto chuckled, "because it's written all over your face."

The Kunoichi narrowed her eyes.

"Personally I can't blame you for being worried." Kabuto spoke as his index finger pushed his glasses up to the rim of his nose.

Sakura faced the grey-haired man, a heavy frown placed on her mouth. "What exactly are you trying to say?" she demanded, her eyebrows furrowing deeper.

"We both know that even though Sasuke-kun has improved greatly, he isn't powerful enough to destroy Itachi. He's going to go, fight his brother and is probably going to end up dead." a sinister grin began to form on he's pale face. "And when Sasuke-kun doesn't come back…there's nothing stopping Orochimaru-sama from doing whatever he pleases with you." Satisfied with what he had just said, Kabuto strolled back into the building.

_He's wrong. He has to be. Sasuke is strong enough and he will return._ Subconsciously Sakura balled her hands into fists. _If Kabuto is telling the truth,what will happen then? Nothing that Orochimaru will do could hurt me more if he were to die_. Before another thought raced through Sakura's mind, she rushed back inside. There was no helping it she had to go after him.

On the way to Sasuke's chamber she passed a Sound-nin that she recognised. It was the same guard that had told Sasuke Itachi's location. Perhaps he would be some help to her.

"Excuse me." the sentry stopped and looked at the petite girl. His mouth opened to make a rude comment, however stopped when he acknowledged who she was. It was the girl who had been with Sasuke when he had given the message to him. Everyone knew it wasn't wise to stir a commotion with one of Sasuke's familiars.

"Yes?"

Baffled by his response, it took Sakura a while to establish what she wanted to say. She didn't expect this man to be half as civilised.

"Where was Uchiha Itachi last seen?" Sakura sobered from the initial shock and spoke in a superior voice.

"At the border of the Rain country. What does it have to do with you though?" The sound-nin questioned rudely.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and answered in a low tone,

"…Everything."

* * *

In less than thirty minutes Haruno Sakura was ready to leave. After her encounter with the sound-nin she headed back to Sasuke's room in search for anything that she might be able to use. Unfortunately all she could find was a single kunai and an old first aid kit but figured that would just have to do.

Sakura carefully made her way outside, avoiding any detection. In a matter of seconds she had left the compound and was making her way through the forest. She had a fair amount of knowledge getting to the Rain country, but hoped she would find the right place. Sasuke was hard to track. Yet she would do anything in her power to catch up to him.

_If I go all out I will be able to make it in about a day. Sasuke is already a day ahead of me so that means I have no time to waste._ Sakura pushed herself faster and sped deeper into the forest.

* * *

Sasuke's chest moved roughly from his violently breathing. His body was constricted in pain, but was not going to give up. At the corner of his red eyes he saw Kisame's mangled body. Two down one to go.

He whipped his head back toward his brother's figure. Itachi stood unfazed, it did not appear that he was about to go into battle. Although the elder Uchiha did have a few injuries, it was not as many as Sasuke's.

" You have not improved much little brother. Are you sure you are capable in killing me just yet?" The Akatsuki mukin asked in his calm, velvet voice.

"Shut up! I will defeat you Uchiha Itachi and I will avenge my clan!" Sasuke shouted. Ignoring the pain, he sprang forward.

* * *

A/N: Done for now, pleeeeeeez let us know what u think, until next time.


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